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war¹ Definition

war (wôr)

noun

  1. open armed conflict between countries or between factions within the same country
  2. any active hostility, contention, or struggle; conflict the war against disease
  3. Obsolete a battle
  4. military operations as a profession or science

Etymology: ME werre < NormFr < Frank *werra, confusion, strife, akin ? to OHG (fir)werran, to confuse < ?

adjective

of, used in, or resulting from war

intransitive verb warred, war′·ring

  1. to carry on war; engage in military conflict
  2. to be in a state of hostility or contention; contend; strive

war¹ Idioms

at war

in a state of active armed conflict

declare war (on)

  1. to make a formal declaration of being at war (with)
  2. to announce one's hostility (to)

go to war

  1. to enter into a war
  2. to become a member of the armed forces during a war

war² Definition

war (wär)

adjective, adverb

Scot., North Eng. worse

Etymology: ME < ON verre, adj., verr, adv.; akin to OHG werran, to confuse

war Synonyms

war

n.

conflict, fighting, hostilities, combat; see battle 1; fight 1.

Types of wars include: air, guerrilla, shooting, ground, sea, amphibious, three-dimensional, trench, naval, aerial, land, push-button, hot, cold, total, limited, civil, revolutionary, political, religious, preventive, world, offensive, defensive, biological, bacteriological, germ, chemical, atomic, nuclear, psychological, atomic-bacteriological-chemical, chemical-bacteriological-radiological; war of attrition, war to end all wars, war of nerves, campaign, crusade, religious, holy war, jihad, Armageddon, blitzkrieg.

war Synonyms

war

v.

fight, battle, go to war, wage war against, make war on, engage in combat, take the field against, contend, contest, meet in conflict, march against, attack, bombard, shell, kill, shoot, murder.

war Usage Examples

Object

faction: It should be noted that neither of the two warring factions consisted of much more than a dozen analysts each.

Preposition: on

  • terror: Thus an endless " war on terror " was declared in the wake of the attacks on America.
  • terrorism: State officials in their turn promised to continue their war on terrorism which they said was the only road to success.

Preposition: against

  • terrorism: Thursday 8 December - A debate on the report from the Foreign Affairs Committee on foreign policy aspects of the war against terrorism.
  • terror: The " war against terror " is unfolding against a background of a rapidly disintegrating world economy.

Adjective modifier

  • civil: He added, " I know what a civil war looks like.
  • Napoleonic: In 1814, following the Napoleonic Wars, France also ceded Tobago to Britain.
  • imperialist: Shastri reported the conference in an article, " Convert imperialist war into civil war.

Converse of object

  • declare: By the time Britain declared war, people all over the country knew what to do.
  • wage: The British puppet regime, headed by Balewa, had waged war on its opponents in the South.
  • oppose: There were courageous people who had opposed the war.
  • fight: We fought a war to support democracy in Kuwait.

Modifies a noun

  • memorial: We plan to relocate the war memorial in front of the new building.
  • crime: Since von Below was never accused of any war crimes, his heirs might also find a sympathetic ear in American courts.
  • veteran: He survives, like a war veteran, by ' keeping his anger ' .

Preposition: of

  • aggression: I'm politically poised to see this as a war of aggression on the part of the US/UK alliance and it's invisible friends.
  • liberation: More than British and American people would ever kill in any war of liberation.
  • independence: The wars of independence and later struggles between Scotland and England lasted centuries.

Noun used with modifier

  • bidding: Greycoat's share price soared on hopes of a bidding war.
  • guerrilla: It's not even like the war against the IRA, who declared a conventional guerrilla war.